The world's fastest train service!

China is on the charge. It will launch the world's fastest train service on August 1.

The rail service will start from the southern railway station in Beijing, which will also become the largest railway station in Asia. The service will link Beijing with one of China's Olympic co-host cities, Tianjin.

A train pulls in at the Beijing South Railway Station in Beijing, China. | Photograph: China Photos/Getty Images

The new superfast trains have state-of-the-art facilities and will travel at speeds of 350-355 kilometres per hour. These trains have aircraft-like cabins. The station, first built in 1958, has been under reconstruction since May 10, 2006.
A train attendant stands in a cabin of the CRH (China Railway High-speed) "bullet train". | Photograph: China Photos/Getty Images

The old station has been converted into a swanky terminal with high-speed trains. It has 13 platforms and 24 rails. This will be the starting station of the inner-city line between Beijing and Tianjin and the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway.

The China railway high-speed train at the Beijing South Railway Station. | Photograph: Guang Niu/Getty Images

The trains will run on the new $2.93-billion Tianjin line every three minutes, and each train could carry around 600 people. China plans to invest 300 billion yuan ($41 billion) to lay 7,820 kilometres of railway lines in 2008.

A worker tests equipments at the entrance of Beijing South Railway Station. | Photograph: China Photos/Getty Images

China plans to build 15,000 kilometres of new railways to be put into operation in the next three years, with 7,000 kilometres being passenger-only high-speed tracks.

A CRH (China Railway High-speed) 'bullet train' for a trial operation is seen at the Beijing South Railway Station. | Photograph: China Photos/Getty Images

From 2003 to 2007, China invested a total of 522 billion yuan ($71.5 billion) in railway construction. The Chinese government expects passengers to make more than 1.4 billion journeys in 2008.

A driver monitors a CRH (China Railway High-speed) "bullet train" leaves the Beijing South Railway Station. | Photograph: China Photos/Getty Images

The cargo transported on railways in China would exceed 3.3 billion tonnes, generating a total revenue of 361 billion yuan ($49.5 billion). The total railway length will reach 120,000 kilometres by 2020.

A worker at the Beijing South Railway Station. | Photograph: China Photos/Getty Images